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Biographies
Short:
Jolene grew up on a farm (exploring/connecting with the land and learning about the history, rocks, plants, and animals there) and now lives with her family and a variety of animals in a suburb of Denver. A school librarian since 1995, Jolene spends her days sharing children’s books and her nights writing them. Learn more at www.jolenegutierrez.com.
Longer:
Jolene Gutiérrez grew up on a farm and now lives with her family and a variety of animals in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. A teacher librarian since 1995, Jolene spends her days sharing children’s books and her nights writing them. She’s a contributor to If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (Candlewick 2025) and the author of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams Childrens 2025, co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me (Abrams/Appleseed 2024, co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle 2024, co-authored with her daughter Shaian), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams/Appleseed 2023), the Stars of Latin Pop series (Rourke 2021), Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Lerner 2020), and Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Invader (Clear Fork/Spork 2020). She’s an active member of SCBWI and The Author’s Guild, part of the KidLitCollective group, a member of the critique group 6 Ladies and a MANuscript, and a co-creator of Picture Book Gold and #KidlitZombieWeek. Jolene is represented by agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Bradford Literary. Find her online at www.jolenegutierrez.com or on Facebook, Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, or Instagram @writerjolene.
